Thoughts on Wii Sports Resort

I managed to nab myself a copy of Wii Sports Resort (which from here through the rest of the blog I will simply be refered to as Resort, as listing the full name in every other sentence just sounds weird) on Friday, and I’ve been playing it over the weekend pretty much any time I’ve gotten the chance to do so. After playing through every mini-game, I thought I’d give you my thoughts on ’em and tell you what to expect if you pick the game up yourself (which you should). Enjoy!

[all images used are from 1UP.com]

Swordplay

This is what we’ve dreamed of since we first learned of the Wii’s motion control capabilities: lightsaber duels. Sure, your Miis aren’t controlling the force or using beams of light to cut each other down, but it’s still just as fun. You and a friend (or an AI opponent) are placed on a platform suspended over the ocean, and you slice, dice, and block as you push your opponent closer and closer to the edge until you can knock them off with a good, solid hit. It sort of works like sumo wrestling — or any number of ring-out fighting games, I suppose. There are also two other modes: one involves you and a friend (or, once again, an AI opponent) slicing food and other random items that are thrown your way in specific ways; the other has you battling tens of other sword fighters until you reach a tougher “boss” at the end. Unless, of course, you get hit three times: that’s when you die.

Wakeboarding

This mini-game, though fun, isn’t all that impressive. I mean, it’s not a terrible game by any means, but all you’re doing is gliding the Wii Remote back and forth to hit waves created by the boat in front of you, and then flicking the controller just before you launch over said waves to perform tricks. You automatically do more stylish, advanced tricks as you land each jump instead of twisting the controller in various ways to perform different moves, so it feels like you’re not in complete control (save for trying to land correctly). Not great, but not bad either.

Frisbee

I don’t think it’s uncommon for one to roll their eyes a bit at the idea of having fun while throwing an in-game dog an in-game Frisbee, but hey, this mode actually is pretty darn fun. You throw the Frisbee at small bulls-eyes in the sand and try to get your dog to catch it as close to the center as possible. As you play you’ll also be able to hit large balloons that are suspended in the air for extra points, though you’ll have to curve the Frisbee just right to hit out of the way balloons while still hitting the bulls-eye. Give this one a try before you start laughing and pass over it, please, because I almost passed over it myself, and I’m glad I didn’t. Also, who doesn’t love cute puppies, right? The terrorists, that’s who.

Archery

This mode is a little weird, and doesn’t quite feel as “visceral” as I’d like. Not sure if it was just me, but it was a little awkward to pull back the arrow while still trying to aim correctly (it kept shifting off to the left, so I had to compensate). You only have so much time to aim, and you also have to take into account the wind and how far away your targets are (aim high for targets farther away, and shoot against the wind). I suppose this mini-game is decent, but it’s not going to win any awards either. Average I guess?

Basketball

This is both the best and the worst mini-game in Resort. The three point shootout, which most of you probably saw at Nintendo’s E3 press conference last month, is pretty awesome. It takes a second to get used to throwing the ball, as the Wii MotionPlus takes even the slightest wrist movement into account, so like me you’ll probably miss a hell of a lot of shots on your first try. After you get the movements down, though, it’s really fun, especially in multiplayer as you narrowly defeat your friends’ scores. The other mode is a 3-on-3 pickup game in which you can pass using the directional pad and the A button (each passing to different teammates, respectively); dribble by moving the controller up and down (though that didn’t seem entirely necessary); and shoot exactly how you would in the regular mode. While on defense, stealing and blocking shots work similarly to dribbling and shooting. It feels kind of awkward as you don’t actually move your characters around, though seeing my little Mii dunk was arguably the single greatest thing ever.

Table Tennis

For those of you like me who are devastated at the lack of Tennis in Resort, well — this won’t replace it. However, it’s the next best thing to having that wonderful mini-game return. Now, I’ve never actually played the real version of table tennis, so I can’t say how well the game translates to the Wii, but it’s pretty fun regardless. You have a regular 1-on-1 mode where you face off against a friend (or, as said before, an AI opponent), as well as a Return Mode where you’re constantly returning balls your opponent hits at you. The best part: hitting said opponent in the face. The game controls wonderfully, and you can also put spin on the ball depending on how you twist your wrists.

Golf

What’s this? The worst mini-game from the original Wii Sports? That unplayable, boring mini-game you tried maybe once, twice, subsequently throwing the controller at the TV out of rage and/or frustration? Yep, it’s back — and this time it isn’t half bad! The Wii MotionPlus seems to have made things a lot easier this time around, as you can now actually hit the ball more than ten feet and not land in hazards 90% of the time. Plus, you’ve got extra courses. Who doesn’t love extra courses? I’ll probably keep this one on standby as I go back to Tiger Woods ’10 (or better yet, desperately hope that Nintendo finally releases a new Mario Golf), but it’s still nice to see such a turnaround from an old enemy.

Bowling

I imagine this was the most played mini-game in the original, if all of the old people leagues popping up across the country are any indication. Despite being a young, hip person down with the latest hippity hoppity, it was definitely my favorite as well, and for good reason: it played wonderfully, worked great with friends or in single player, and never once beat you up like the other modes did once you got good at it (darn you, cheatingcuriously good AI Baseball players). It returns with Resort in all its glory, and there doesn’t seem to be any changes — good or bad. I haven’t had enough time to test if the Wii Motion Plus allows for more spin on the ball or better control over it, though I imagine Nintendo tweaked it here and there to make it more responsive (I haven’t accidentally sent the ball flying at the crowds behind me, at least).

 

Power Cruising

Do you like Wave Race? Well, this is pretty much that except a little simpler and with Miis. Heck, you even have crazy waves trying to push you around and screw up your good run. You hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuk in your hands with them facing towards you as if you were holding handlebars, and use the B button to go. You then twist the controllers in a half-circle or so to get a speed boost. This can feel a little odd until you master the balance needed to do so, as you also tilt the controllers left and right to steer. I can’t tell you how many times I went for a speed boost and, while doing so, nearly completely flipped myself around. My own physical goofiness aside, it’s a pretty fun addition.

Canoeing

This is an interesting little mini-game, for sure. You basically row like you would in a real canoe while trying to reach the finish line. Simple enough. Not exactly the most exciting thing you’ll find in Resort, but there’s nothing really bad about it. Plus, you can leisurely wander around the lake and look for baby ducks. I actually enjoyed that part. I’m not kidding! It’s a lot better than violently shooting them while some dog laughs at your terrible skills with a toy gun, right? Right?

Cycling

I’m… so… tired…. Seriously, this mini-game is by far the most physically taxing of all the ones included in Resort. You use both the Wii Remote and Nunchuck, flapping your arms as if you were running to move forward (well, running or playing the drums). I would have preferred a circular motion as if I were pedaling an actual bike, but hey, you take what you get. The faster you move your arms the faster your bike will go, though if you go too fast you’ll run out of breath and slow down for a bit (both in the game as well as real life, I’m sure, ha ha). You can also steer, though whenever I tried to do so I kept over steering and nearly falling off the ledge. You’re probably better off just letting the game steer itself, honestly, which it’s more than happy to do for you. What a nice little game. I should take it out for coffee sometime. Oh, and you’ve got to compensate for wind as well, so be careful around open turns — a little Breeze could push your little Mii towards its gruesome death!

Air Sports

The last mini-game in Resort involves you flying a toy airplane around the island. That’s about it. Yes, I rolled my eyes at the thought of it too, but after starting it up and then realizing that a of couple of hours had just flown by (no pun intended), I was quite certain that this was the best “sport” Resort has to offer (it’s my personal favorite, at least). It’s very relaxing to simply take to the air and view the island you’ve been playing around in from cloud level, and for those of you who aren’t exactly the relaxing type, there’s something to make the collector in you go crazy: Hidden around the island are little glowing icons that you need to find. Think of it like Crackdown, but with toy airplanes. It’s surprisingly addictive, and once you finish that you can also find and pop tons of hidden white balloon all over the island (not an easy feat). I imagine this one will keep me busy for quite some time.

 

Final Thoughts

Over all, I think Resort is more than worthy of your time and money, and a surprisingly robust sequel to what many viewed as a game that was a little toosimple. Along with having 12 games for the price of one, you also have “Stamps,” which are basically Nintendo’s answer to Achievements. Each mini-game in Wii Sports — as well as the different modes within each — contain these, and not all of them are easy to get (some of them seem nearly impossible). I can’t stress enough how much the Stamps add to the depth and replay value of this game, and they’ll more than likely be the reason whyResort will keep spinning in your Wii months from now. There’s no daily tests like in the first game, but I think the Stamp system and the number of mini-games this time around are more than enough reasons to keep coming back. The Stamps also give you a reason to play the game when your friends aren’t around, so even when flying solo Resort is pretty darn fun (a claim the first game couldn’t really make).

I wasn’t sure if I’d like Resort, as a lot of the mini-games included didn’t look all that fun and it didn’t seem like that much of an improvement over the firstWii Sports. But hey, in this instance I’m more than willing to admit that I was wrong. One problem though: Where the hell’s my Beach Volleyball, Nintendo?